Ah, chilli. Is there a more comforting meal?
Kidney beans and onion, swirling around in an array of creamy tomato sauce, meeting garlic and paprika for a taste sensation. Black beans take the lead in this recipe, almost defeated by the underdog – sweetcorn, adding another texture and alluring taste to the dish.
I offered to make dinner for a friend a few weeks ago, and I decided on chilli. They stared at me, uncertain – comparing chilli to a very sad, misguided burrito.
Truly an awful way to look at chilli, although – not totally wrong. I argued in defence of the dish, although burritos are a love of mine, chilli has its place in the world too, and is a whole different dish. My friend did not seem convinced, holding their love for burritos close. Yet, as I began to cook the dish and the spices began to whirl together, they sniffed around the pan – eyebrow raised, contemplating whether their life had room for chilli.
I continued with cooking, stirring in the tomatoes, adding the beans. They sat, waiting – timid, curious. I poured my friend a glass of wine at the table, and after forty minutes, began to plate the food. The rice, warm and fluffy fell gracefully upon the plate, and then the aromatic chilli, pilled tenderly on top.
I placed the plates at the table and awaited my friends’ response. Two bites of chilli lead to four bites of chilli, lead to two plates of chilli. On this holy day, something magical happened – a chilli conversion.
In all seriousness, chilli is a fantastic dish to make.
The nutritional value of the dish is fantastic. Black beans have 8 grams of protein per ½ cup[1], while butter beans have 6 grams of protein per ½ cup.[2] 100 grams of bell pepper only provides 1 gram of protein, the same amount of yellow bell peppers provide 306 % of the recommended daily value of vitamin C, while red bell peppers provide 63 % of the daily value for vitamin A.[3] Healthy eating does not mean having to eat a salad for every meal, it’s making sure you are including fruits and vegetables with a high nutrient content to help your body thrive. Eating healthy can involve delicious, comforting meals that truly are nourishing.
Chilli is a batch cook dish, so unless you’re feeding a family of five, you’re going to have left overs. I like to make it on a Monday, so I can eat it for lunch during the week. It is delicious on jacket potato with a side salad and works well in a wrap.
A side note – I recommend using 1 tbs of chilli powder. If you like very hot food, I would gradually increase the spice, or if you are sensitive to spicy food, perhaps start off with ½ tbs and see if that works for you. It is a delicate balance, I have overestimated the power of chilli powder in the past and used too much. A tasty, but cruel mistress – know your limits!
Anyway,
Enjoy!
This recipe will yield 5-6 servings
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 large mushrooms, minced
2 cups sweetcorn
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
pepper and salt, season to taste
2 tsp olive oil
800g chopped tomatoes
400g canned red kidney beans
400g canned black beans
200g canned butter beans
2 cups stock water
300g basmati rice (for two)
Recipe
1. Dice the onion and carrots, finely chop the garlic. Warm a pan with a splash of oil before adding the onion and garlic and sauté for two minutes, then add the diced carrot and continue to sauté for three minutes.
2. Chop the bell pepper and add it to the mixture. Then, add the chilli, cumin, oregano, paprika and coriander. Stir for another minute, and then pour in the first can of chopped tomatoes.
3. Boil the kettle and prepared the stock. Meanwhile, add the canned red kidney beans, black beans and kidney bean and sweetcorn. Once the stock is ready, gently stir it into the chilli.
4. After half an hour, boil two cups of water and then add in one cup of rice. Cook for 10 minutes and then drain.
5. Portion the rice and serve.
[1] Paula Martinac, "Nutritional Facts Of Black Beans | Livestrong.Com", LIVESTRONG.COM, 2019 <https://www.livestrong.com/article/238506-black-bean-nutritional-facts/> [Accessed 1 May 2019].
[2] Corleone, J. (2018). The Health Benefits of Butter Beans | Livestrong.com. [online] LIVESTRONG.COM. Available at: https://www.livestrong.com/article/248233-butter-beans-nutrition-facts/ [Accessed 1 May 2019].
[3] Ellen Douglas, "The Nutrition Profile For A Yellow Bell Pepper | Livestrong.Com", LIVESTRONG.COM <https://www.livestrong.com/article/527485-the-nutrition-profile-for-a-yellow-bell-pepper/> [Accessed 1 May 2019].